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* ''Series/{{Forever|2014}}'': In the finale "The Last Death of Henry Morgan," Henry is forced to lie to Jo repeatedly trying to protect her from Adam, while Adam tries to [[VillainRevealsTheSecret manipulate things]] so that Jo will see Henry die and thus learn of his secret.
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alphabetized TV shows
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* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': In "The Man Who Knew Too Much", Castiel (an angel) and Crowley (a demon) team up to open a gate to Purgatory and absorb all the souls within for power. Shortly before the ritual can be performed, Castiel cuts Crowley out of the deal. Crowley is shocked and enraged that he was the one who had been acting in good-faith and got betrayed.
to:
* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': In "The Man Who Knew Too Much", Castiel (an angel) the eternal EnemyMine relationship between The Doctor and Crowley (a demon) team up The Master in ''Series/DoctorWho'', this trope is applied to open a gate to Purgatory the Twelfth Doctor and absorb all Missy (a.k.a. The Master in [[GenderBender female form]]), where the souls within for power. Shortly before former is a ByronicHero who can't trust even in his companions and hides secrets from them, and the ritual can be performed, Castiel cuts Crowley out of latter is a LovableAlphaBitch who always says the deal. Crowley is shocked truth to him and enraged that he was the one who had been acting in good-faith and got betrayed.Clara Oswald.
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* In the eternal EnemyMine relationship between The Doctor and The Master in ''Series/DoctorWho'', this trope is applied to the Twelfth Doctor and Missy (a.k.a. The Master in [[GenderBender female form]]), where the former is a ByronicHero who can't trust even in his companions and hides secrets from them, and the latter is a LovableAlphaBitch who always says the truth to him and Clara Oswald.
to:
* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': In "The Man Who Knew Too Much", Castiel (an angel) and Crowley (a demon) team up to open a gate to Purgatory and absorb all the eternal EnemyMine relationship between The Doctor souls within for power. Shortly before the ritual can be performed, Castiel cuts Crowley out of the deal. Crowley is shocked and The Master in ''Series/DoctorWho'', this trope is applied to enraged that he was the Twelfth Doctor one who had been acting in good-faith and Missy (a.k.a. The Master in [[GenderBender female form]]), where the former is a ByronicHero who can't trust even in his companions and hides secrets from them, and the latter is a LovableAlphaBitch who always says the truth to him and Clara Oswald.got betrayed.
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* Many of [[NebulousEvilOrganisation Talon]]'s members in ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'' are open about their goals of [[OnlyInItForTheMoney making a profit]] or [[TheSocialDarwinist wiping out the weak so that the strong can survive]]. In contrast, one member of the titular heroic organization opposing them went under an alias for ''years'', only finally admitting the truth after rejoining his former companions.
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While this can go hand in hand with PoliteVillainsRudeHeroes, both can exist without the other being in play; nice heroes can be dishonest, and mean villains can be truthful. This can be seen in ChevalierVsRogue settings where TheHero is the Rogue and the BigBad is the Chevalier. The trope can also be related to MetaphoricallyTrue or DoubleSpeak, where the villain tells the truth, but in a manipulative or convenient way.
to:
While this can go hand in hand with PoliteVillainsRudeHeroes, both can exist without the other being in play; nice heroes can be dishonest, dishonest {{Guile Hero}}es, and mean villains can be truthful.truthful {{Well Intentioned Extremist}}s. This can be seen in ChevalierVsRogue settings where TheHero is the Rogue and the BigBad is the Chevalier. The trope can also be related to MetaphoricallyTrue or DoubleSpeak, where the villain tells the truth, but in a manipulative or convenient way.
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Direct linking.
Changed line(s) 9,10 (click to see context) from:
While this can go hand in hand with PoliteVillainsRudeHeroes, both can exist without the other being in play; nice heroes can be dishonest, and mean villains can be truthful. This can be seen in ChevalierVsRogue settings where TheHero is the Rogue and the BigBad is the Chevalier. The trope can also be related to FromACertainPointOfView or DoubleSpeak, where the villain tells the truth, but in a manipulative or convenient way.
to:
While this can go hand in hand with PoliteVillainsRudeHeroes, both can exist without the other being in play; nice heroes can be dishonest, and mean villains can be truthful. This can be seen in ChevalierVsRogue settings where TheHero is the Rogue and the BigBad is the Chevalier. The trope can also be related to FromACertainPointOfView MetaphoricallyTrue or DoubleSpeak, where the villain tells the truth, but in a manipulative or convenient way.
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There are a number of ways this trope can appear. One could be that [[PragmaticHero the hero's plan relies on trickery and/or secrets]] while the villain has no need to hide their true intentions due to the power they wield. The heroes could have secrets that they want hidden from their allies and the villain is trying to expose those secrets. Or the lies told by the heroes are intended to lure the villain into a trap set up by what was learned from the villains.
to:
There are a number of ways this trope can appear. One could be that [[PragmaticHero the hero's plan relies on trickery and/or secrets]] while the villain has no need to hide their true intentions due to the power they wield. The heroes could have secrets that they want hidden from their allies and [[VillainRevealsTheSecret the villain is trying to expose those secrets.secrets]]. Or the lies told by the heroes are intended to lure the villain into a trap set up by what was learned from the villains.
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* The ''Literature/WarriorCats'' book ''Moth Flight's Vision'' is from [=WindClan=]'s point of view. A [=WindClan=] cat, Willow Tail, accuses [=SkyClan=] of stealing prey; the [=SkyClan=] leader Clear Sky, meanwhile, insists that Willow Tail is making it up because of her own grudge against one of the his cats. Clear Sky had been the main antagonist in the past, and even in the present still seems eager for battle and refuses to let the medicine cats perform their duties, so naturally the main characters and the reader believe the [=WindClan=] cat to be right. Turns out in the end that Clear Sky is right and that Willow Tail was indeed lying.
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* ''Film/RedEye'' has Lisa Reiser, the hotel manager who lies about her drink order and the scar on her chest and Jackson Rippner, the ManipulativeBastard organizer who is always truthful.
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* In the eternal EnemyMine relationship between The Doctor and The Master in ''Series/DoctorWho'', this trope is applied to the Twelfth Doctor and Missy (a.k.a. The Master in [[GenderBender female version]]), where the former is a ByronicHero who can't trust even in his companions and hides secrets from them, and the latter is a LikableVillain (or a LovableAlphaBitch in this case) who always says the truth to him and Clara Oswald.
to:
* In the eternal EnemyMine relationship between The Doctor and The Master in ''Series/DoctorWho'', this trope is applied to the Twelfth Doctor and Missy (a.k.a. The Master in [[GenderBender female version]]), form]]), where the former is a ByronicHero who can't trust even in his companions and hides secrets from them, and the latter is a LikableVillain (or a LovableAlphaBitch in this case) who always says the truth to him and Clara Oswald.
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Wikiword fix
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* In ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureBattleTendency'', Joseph Joestar is a known trickster who tends to manipulate his foes' behavior with lies to catch them off guard. By comparison, Wamuu is a proud warrior and a FairPlayVillain who sees Joseph as a WorthyOpponent.
to:
* In ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureBattleTendency'', ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureBattleTendency'', Joseph Joestar is a known trickster who tends to manipulate his foes' behavior with lies to catch them off guard. By comparison, Wamuu is a proud warrior and a FairPlayVillain who sees Joseph as a WorthyOpponent.
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None
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** ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords'' takes this trope, along with everything else in the setting, for a ride in the DeconstructorFleet. You do get a lot of the backstory from Kreia [[spoiler: who was both a Jedi Master and a Sith Lord]], but it's also ''heavily'' filtered through her agenda to the point where half the WildMassGuessing for the game is debating which of her words were true, which were half true, and which ones are false. Atton also hangs an ugly lampshade on the Jedi tendency to lie and shamelessly manipulate non-Jedi when it suits them [[spoiler: which is how he justified torturing them to death for a paycheck.]]
to:
** ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords'' takes this trope, along with everything else in the setting, for a ride in the DeconstructorFleet. You do get a lot of the backstory from Kreia [[spoiler: who was both a Jedi Master and a Sith Lord]], but it's also ''heavily'' filtered through her agenda to the point where half the WildMassGuessing for the game is debating which of her words were true, which were half true, and which ones are false. Atton also hangs an ugly lampshade on [[MetaphoricallyTrue the Jedi tendency to lie and shamelessly manipulate non-Jedi when it suits them them]] [[spoiler: which is how he justified torturing them to death for a paycheck.]]
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* One of the pervasive tensions in the ''Literature/NightWatchSeries'' series is that the Light Others (ostensibly the good guys) have to repeatedly lie or obfuscate the truth ForTheGreaterGood, while the Dark Others ("evil" guys) commonly employ BrutalHonesty to harm or to emotionally manipulate people.
to:
* One of the pervasive tensions in the ''Literature/NightWatchSeries'' series is that the Light Others (ostensibly the good guys) have to repeatedly lie or obfuscate the truth ForTheGreaterGood, while the Dark Others ("evil" guys) commonly employ BrutalHonesty to harm or to emotionally manipulate people.
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Fixed a link
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* One of the pervasive tensions in the ''Literature/NightWatch'' series is that the Light Others (ostensibly the good guys) have to repeatedly lie or obfuscate the truth ForTheGreaterGood, while the Dark Others ("evil" guys) commonly employ BrutalHonesty to harm or to emotionally manipulate people.
to:
* One of the pervasive tensions in the ''Literature/NightWatch'' ''Literature/NightWatchSeries'' series is that the Light Others (ostensibly the good guys) have to repeatedly lie or obfuscate the truth ForTheGreaterGood, while the Dark Others ("evil" guys) commonly employ BrutalHonesty to harm or to emotionally manipulate people.
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After she got caught, Bad Janet called him "that traitor Glen" which means Glen wasn't trying to trick them, he was being sincere.
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* PlayedWith in ''Series/TheGoodPlace''. Glenn the demon manipulates the truth that Michael saw Vicky in the Michael suit in the Bad Place. Michael lied to Team Cockroach about seeing the Michael suit or knowing it existed. However, Glenn is only using this to convince Eleanor that [[spoiler:Michael, rather than Janet, is the demon]].
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* ''Film/RomancingTheStone'': When Ralph steals the stone from Joan and Jack (who was previously plotting to keep it for himself), he points out that at least he's being honest about stealing it, not trying to seduce Joan for it like Jack was.
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** ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords'' takes this trope, along with everything else in the setting, for a ride in the DeconstructorFleet. You do get a lot of the backstory from Kreia [[spoiler: who was both a Jedi Master and a Sith Lord]], but it's also ''heavily'' filtered through her agenda to the point where half the WildMassGuessing for the game is debating which of her words were true, which were half true, and which ones are false. Atton also hangs a ugly lampshade on the Jedi tendency to lie and shamelessly manipulate non-Jedi when it suits them [[spoiler: which is how he justified torturing them to death for a paycheck.]]
to:
** ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords'' takes this trope, along with everything else in the setting, for a ride in the DeconstructorFleet. You do get a lot of the backstory from Kreia [[spoiler: who was both a Jedi Master and a Sith Lord]], but it's also ''heavily'' filtered through her agenda to the point where half the WildMassGuessing for the game is debating which of her words were true, which were half true, and which ones are false. Atton also hangs a an ugly lampshade on the Jedi tendency to lie and shamelessly manipulate non-Jedi when it suits them [[spoiler: which is how he justified torturing them to death for a paycheck.]]
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!!Examples
to:
!!Examples:
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[[folder:Film -- Animated]]
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[[folder:Film -- Live Action]]
* ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'': Darth Vader reveals that [[LukeIAmYourFather he is Luke Skywalker's father]] when Obi Wan Kenobi and Yoda intentionally misled Luke into believing otherwise.
* ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'': Darth Vader reveals that [[LukeIAmYourFather he is Luke Skywalker's father]] when Obi Wan Kenobi and Yoda intentionally misled Luke into believing otherwise.
to:
* ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'': Darth Vader reveals that [[LukeIAmYourFather he is Luke Skywalker's father]] when
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[[folder:Live Action TV]]
to:
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* In the eternal EnemyMine relationship between The Doctor and The Master in ''Series/DoctorWho'', this trope is applied to the Twelfth Doctor and Missy (aka The Master in [[GenderBender female version]]), where the former is a ByronicHero who can't trust even in his companions and hides secrets from them, and the latter is a LikableVillain (or a LovableAlphaBitch in this case) who always says the truth to him and Clara Oswald.
to:
* In the eternal EnemyMine relationship between The Doctor and The Master in ''Series/DoctorWho'', this trope is applied to the Twelfth Doctor and Missy (aka (a.k.a. The Master in [[GenderBender female version]]), where the former is a ByronicHero who can't trust even in his companions and hides secrets from them, and the latter is a LikableVillain (or a LovableAlphaBitch in this case) who always says the truth to him and Clara Oswald.
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[[/folder]]
to:
----
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* PlayedWith in ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic''; in the Bounty Hunter story-line, the HeroAntagonist Jun Seros is a Jedi who uses deception and trickery to hunt you down for revenge for killing his friend, while Darth Tormen is your main benefactor for a portion of the story and is a completely honest BloodKnight.
* ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'': The PlayerCharacter and their non-Jedi party members are consistently lied to in regards to [[spoiler: The PlayerCharacter's actual identity]] by the Dantooine Council and Bastila, a fact that party member Carth will frequently complain about. ''Unfortunately'' for everyone, Darth Malak and Admiral Karath are telling the truth...
* ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords'' takes this trope, along with everything else in the setting, for a ride in the DeconstructionFleet. You do get a lot of the backstory from Kreia [[spoiler: who was both a Jedi Master and a Sith Lord]], but it's also ''heavily'' filtered through her agenda to the point where half the WildMassGuessing for the game is debating which of her words were true, which were half true, and which ones are false. Atton also hangs a ugly lampshade on the Jedi tendency to lie and shamelessly manipulate non-Jedi when it suits them [[spoiler: which is how he justified torturing them to death for a paycheck.]]
* ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'': The PlayerCharacter and their non-Jedi party members are consistently lied to in regards to [[spoiler: The PlayerCharacter's actual identity]] by the Dantooine Council and Bastila, a fact that party member Carth will frequently complain about. ''Unfortunately'' for everyone, Darth Malak and Admiral Karath are telling the truth...
* ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords'' takes this trope, along with everything else in the setting, for a ride in the DeconstructionFleet. You do get a lot of the backstory from Kreia [[spoiler: who was both a Jedi Master and a Sith Lord]], but it's also ''heavily'' filtered through her agenda to the point where half the WildMassGuessing for the game is debating which of her words were true, which were half true, and which ones are false. Atton also hangs a ugly lampshade on the Jedi tendency to lie and shamelessly manipulate non-Jedi when it suits them [[spoiler: which is how he justified torturing them to death for a paycheck.]]
to:
* ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'':
** PlayedWith in ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic''; in the Bounty Hunter story-line, the HeroAntagonist Jun Seros is a Jedi who uses deception and trickery to hunt you down for revenge for killing his friend, while Darth Tormen is your main benefactor for a portion of the story and is a completely honest BloodKnight.
* ** ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'': The PlayerCharacter and their non-Jedi party members are consistently lied to in regards to [[spoiler: The PlayerCharacter's actual identity]] by the Dantooine Council and Bastila, a fact that party member Carth will frequently complain about. ''Unfortunately'' for everyone, Darth Malak and Admiral Karath are telling the truth...
* ** ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords'' takes this trope, along with everything else in the setting, for a ride in the DeconstructionFleet.DeconstructorFleet. You do get a lot of the backstory from Kreia [[spoiler: who was both a Jedi Master and a Sith Lord]], but it's also ''heavily'' filtered through her agenda to the point where half the WildMassGuessing for the game is debating which of her words were true, which were half true, and which ones are false. Atton also hangs a ugly lampshade on the Jedi tendency to lie and shamelessly manipulate non-Jedi when it suits them [[spoiler: which is how he justified torturing them to death for a paycheck.]]
** PlayedWith in ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic''; in the Bounty Hunter story-line, the HeroAntagonist Jun Seros is a Jedi who uses deception and trickery to hunt you down for revenge for killing his friend, while Darth Tormen is your main benefactor for a portion of the story and is a completely honest BloodKnight.
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[[folder:Film - Animated]]
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[[folder:Film - -- Animated]]
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[[folder:Film - Live Action]]
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[[folder:Film - -- Live Action]]
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* In ''Manga/OnePiece'', Usopp makes heavy use of lies, deception, and misdirection as part of his battling style. The bad guys he fights, on the other hand, tend to rely solely on their powers or brute strength, confident that they can beat Usopp without having to do anything complicated.[[note]][[CuteGhostGirl Perona]] is the one exception so far.[[/note]]
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Created from YKTTW
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When people think of good guys and bad guys, most would expect that they should trust the heroes over the villains. After all, if the heroes want to succeed in their mission, they need allies that can trust them, which is difficult if they don't tell the truth, right?
Not always.
Just as [[UglyHeroGoodLookingVillain outside appearances]], [[ShabbyHeroesWellDressedVillains dress quality]], and [[PoliteVillainsRudeHeroes social interactions]] can run contrary to expectations in a good and evil dynamic, so too can actions compared to words. In this area of contrast, the hero is spreading lies and the villain is truthful.
There are a number of ways this trope can appear. One could be that [[PragmaticHero the hero's plan relies on trickery and/or secrets]] while the villain has no need to hide their true intentions due to the power they wield. The heroes could have secrets that they want hidden from their allies and the villain is trying to expose those secrets. Or the lies told by the heroes are intended to lure the villain into a trap set up by what was learned from the villains.
While this can go hand in hand with PoliteVillainsRudeHeroes, both can exist without the other being in play; nice heroes can be dishonest, and mean villains can be truthful. This can be seen in ChevalierVsRogue settings where TheHero is the Rogue and the BigBad is the Chevalier. The trope can also be related to FromACertainPointOfView or DoubleSpeak, where the villain tells the truth, but in a manipulative or convenient way.
Done well, the trope can illustrate [[PragmaticHero how heroism can spell dilemmic circumstances for those seeking to do good]]; done poorly, it can make for a case of [[RootingForTheEmpire the villains becoming more sympathetic than the heroes]].
Subtrope of GoodAndEvilForYourConvenience. This trope can readily appear in situations where VillainsNeverLie. Often a sub trope for PragmaticHero if the hero in question believes they ''must'' be deceitful or underhanded to achieve a greater good. Can overlap with GoMadFromTheRevelation, where the "truth" is [[AwfulTruth so awful]] that the heroes may have a justified reason for keeping it secret.
!!Examples
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* In ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureBattleTendency'', Joseph Joestar is a known trickster who tends to manipulate his foes' behavior with lies to catch them off guard. By comparison, Wamuu is a proud warrior and a FairPlayVillain who sees Joseph as a WorthyOpponent.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Film - Animated]]
* Deconstructed in ''WesternAnimation/SharkTale''. Oscar pretends to have killed two sharks in order to boost his social status. Don Lino, the sharks' father, makes it fully clear that he intends to get revenge on the Sharkslayer. And Lola doesn't bother to hide the fact that she's a GoldDigger.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Film - Live Action]]
* ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'': Darth Vader reveals that [[LukeIAmYourFather he is Luke Skywalker's father]] when Obi Wan Kenobi and Yoda intentionally misled Luke into believing otherwise.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Literature]]
* One of the pervasive tensions in the ''Literature/NightWatch'' series is that the Light Others (ostensibly the good guys) have to repeatedly lie or obfuscate the truth ForTheGreaterGood, while the Dark Others ("evil" guys) commonly employ BrutalHonesty to harm or to emotionally manipulate people.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': In "The Man Who Knew Too Much", Castiel (an angel) and Crowley (a demon) team up to open a gate to Purgatory and absorb all the souls within for power. Shortly before the ritual can be performed, Castiel cuts Crowley out of the deal. Crowley is shocked and enraged that he was the one who had been acting in good-faith and got betrayed.
* PlayedWith in ''Series/TheGoodPlace''. Glenn the demon manipulates the truth that Michael saw Vicky in the Michael suit in the Bad Place. Michael lied to Team Cockroach about seeing the Michael suit or knowing it existed. However, Glenn is only using this to convince Eleanor that [[spoiler:Michael, rather than Janet, is the demon]].
* ''Series/{{Hannibal}}'':
** ImmoralJournalist Freddie Lounds tells [[BrokenBird Abigail]] [[DaddysLittleVillain Hobbs]] the truth that she is under suspicion of the murders her father committed, and [[JerkassHasAPoint that she has to get her story out there]]. Will is in total denial about just how much Abigail is suspected of from the police and tries to stop her talking to Freddie.
** Hannibal ''is'' a total ManipulativeBastard (and his reasons for telling the truth are equally manipulative), but he tells Will the truth: that Margot manipulated him into having sex so she could claim a legitimate heir to her family's fortune, a fact which she conveniently kept from him.
* In the eternal EnemyMine relationship between The Doctor and The Master in ''Series/DoctorWho'', this trope is applied to the Twelfth Doctor and Missy (aka The Master in [[GenderBender female version]]), where the former is a ByronicHero who can't trust even in his companions and hides secrets from them, and the latter is a LikableVillain (or a LovableAlphaBitch in this case) who always says the truth to him and Clara Oswald.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Video Games]]
* PlayedWith in ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic''; in the Bounty Hunter story-line, the HeroAntagonist Jun Seros is a Jedi who uses deception and trickery to hunt you down for revenge for killing his friend, while Darth Tormen is your main benefactor for a portion of the story and is a completely honest BloodKnight.
* ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'': The PlayerCharacter and their non-Jedi party members are consistently lied to in regards to [[spoiler: The PlayerCharacter's actual identity]] by the Dantooine Council and Bastila, a fact that party member Carth will frequently complain about. ''Unfortunately'' for everyone, Darth Malak and Admiral Karath are telling the truth...
* ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords'' takes this trope, along with everything else in the setting, for a ride in the DeconstructionFleet. You do get a lot of the backstory from Kreia [[spoiler: who was both a Jedi Master and a Sith Lord]], but it's also ''heavily'' filtered through her agenda to the point where half the WildMassGuessing for the game is debating which of her words were true, which were half true, and which ones are false. Atton also hangs a ugly lampshade on the Jedi tendency to lie and shamelessly manipulate non-Jedi when it suits them [[spoiler: which is how he justified torturing them to death for a paycheck.]]
[[/folder]]
Not always.
Just as [[UglyHeroGoodLookingVillain outside appearances]], [[ShabbyHeroesWellDressedVillains dress quality]], and [[PoliteVillainsRudeHeroes social interactions]] can run contrary to expectations in a good and evil dynamic, so too can actions compared to words. In this area of contrast, the hero is spreading lies and the villain is truthful.
There are a number of ways this trope can appear. One could be that [[PragmaticHero the hero's plan relies on trickery and/or secrets]] while the villain has no need to hide their true intentions due to the power they wield. The heroes could have secrets that they want hidden from their allies and the villain is trying to expose those secrets. Or the lies told by the heroes are intended to lure the villain into a trap set up by what was learned from the villains.
While this can go hand in hand with PoliteVillainsRudeHeroes, both can exist without the other being in play; nice heroes can be dishonest, and mean villains can be truthful. This can be seen in ChevalierVsRogue settings where TheHero is the Rogue and the BigBad is the Chevalier. The trope can also be related to FromACertainPointOfView or DoubleSpeak, where the villain tells the truth, but in a manipulative or convenient way.
Done well, the trope can illustrate [[PragmaticHero how heroism can spell dilemmic circumstances for those seeking to do good]]; done poorly, it can make for a case of [[RootingForTheEmpire the villains becoming more sympathetic than the heroes]].
Subtrope of GoodAndEvilForYourConvenience. This trope can readily appear in situations where VillainsNeverLie. Often a sub trope for PragmaticHero if the hero in question believes they ''must'' be deceitful or underhanded to achieve a greater good. Can overlap with GoMadFromTheRevelation, where the "truth" is [[AwfulTruth so awful]] that the heroes may have a justified reason for keeping it secret.
!!Examples
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* In ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureBattleTendency'', Joseph Joestar is a known trickster who tends to manipulate his foes' behavior with lies to catch them off guard. By comparison, Wamuu is a proud warrior and a FairPlayVillain who sees Joseph as a WorthyOpponent.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Film - Animated]]
* Deconstructed in ''WesternAnimation/SharkTale''. Oscar pretends to have killed two sharks in order to boost his social status. Don Lino, the sharks' father, makes it fully clear that he intends to get revenge on the Sharkslayer. And Lola doesn't bother to hide the fact that she's a GoldDigger.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Film - Live Action]]
* ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'': Darth Vader reveals that [[LukeIAmYourFather he is Luke Skywalker's father]] when Obi Wan Kenobi and Yoda intentionally misled Luke into believing otherwise.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Literature]]
* One of the pervasive tensions in the ''Literature/NightWatch'' series is that the Light Others (ostensibly the good guys) have to repeatedly lie or obfuscate the truth ForTheGreaterGood, while the Dark Others ("evil" guys) commonly employ BrutalHonesty to harm or to emotionally manipulate people.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': In "The Man Who Knew Too Much", Castiel (an angel) and Crowley (a demon) team up to open a gate to Purgatory and absorb all the souls within for power. Shortly before the ritual can be performed, Castiel cuts Crowley out of the deal. Crowley is shocked and enraged that he was the one who had been acting in good-faith and got betrayed.
* PlayedWith in ''Series/TheGoodPlace''. Glenn the demon manipulates the truth that Michael saw Vicky in the Michael suit in the Bad Place. Michael lied to Team Cockroach about seeing the Michael suit or knowing it existed. However, Glenn is only using this to convince Eleanor that [[spoiler:Michael, rather than Janet, is the demon]].
* ''Series/{{Hannibal}}'':
** ImmoralJournalist Freddie Lounds tells [[BrokenBird Abigail]] [[DaddysLittleVillain Hobbs]] the truth that she is under suspicion of the murders her father committed, and [[JerkassHasAPoint that she has to get her story out there]]. Will is in total denial about just how much Abigail is suspected of from the police and tries to stop her talking to Freddie.
** Hannibal ''is'' a total ManipulativeBastard (and his reasons for telling the truth are equally manipulative), but he tells Will the truth: that Margot manipulated him into having sex so she could claim a legitimate heir to her family's fortune, a fact which she conveniently kept from him.
* In the eternal EnemyMine relationship between The Doctor and The Master in ''Series/DoctorWho'', this trope is applied to the Twelfth Doctor and Missy (aka The Master in [[GenderBender female version]]), where the former is a ByronicHero who can't trust even in his companions and hides secrets from them, and the latter is a LikableVillain (or a LovableAlphaBitch in this case) who always says the truth to him and Clara Oswald.
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[[folder:Video Games]]
* PlayedWith in ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic''; in the Bounty Hunter story-line, the HeroAntagonist Jun Seros is a Jedi who uses deception and trickery to hunt you down for revenge for killing his friend, while Darth Tormen is your main benefactor for a portion of the story and is a completely honest BloodKnight.
* ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'': The PlayerCharacter and their non-Jedi party members are consistently lied to in regards to [[spoiler: The PlayerCharacter's actual identity]] by the Dantooine Council and Bastila, a fact that party member Carth will frequently complain about. ''Unfortunately'' for everyone, Darth Malak and Admiral Karath are telling the truth...
* ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords'' takes this trope, along with everything else in the setting, for a ride in the DeconstructionFleet. You do get a lot of the backstory from Kreia [[spoiler: who was both a Jedi Master and a Sith Lord]], but it's also ''heavily'' filtered through her agenda to the point where half the WildMassGuessing for the game is debating which of her words were true, which were half true, and which ones are false. Atton also hangs a ugly lampshade on the Jedi tendency to lie and shamelessly manipulate non-Jedi when it suits them [[spoiler: which is how he justified torturing them to death for a paycheck.]]
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